The Ancient Lands: Warrior Quest, Search for the Ifa Scepter by Jason McCammon

head and she ran toward a group of nearby
children. They were busy playing with the new pups at the outside
kennel, wondering which of the young wolves would be theirs
someday.
    “Children!” she shouted. “Have any of you
seen Farra?”
    “No ma’am!”
    Laka came outside of the house, following
Farra’s scent and barked at Anika signaling that she should follow.
Anika obeyed Laka’s request intuitively and walked with the wolf
until it was clear that Farra had gone far beyond the village.
    Anika went back to their village to request
an emergency meeting with the Elders. When she arrived, she found
the dome empty. Personally going to an Elder’s home was a bit
unorthodox, but that is exactly what she did.
    She arrived at the First’s house and knocked
on his door impatiently.
    “You may come in Anika,” the First said with
his old fragile voice from inside. She wondered, at first how he
knew that it was her, but then she dismissed the thought quickly
—Elders often did strange things like that. But this time it was no
magic, or clairvoyance. He expected that she would be coming.
    “Elder! I fear that Farra has disobeyed you
and run off!” The elder chuckled under his breath.
    “Elder please,” she pleaded. “She could be in
danger.”
    “We already know,” he said.
    “You know? Then you have sent someone after
her already? Why didn’t you wake me?”
    “I knew before you even left Council hall
last night.”
    “I don’t understand. Yesterday, you denied
her request. She didn’t pass your test. She’s not ready,” Anika
pleaded.
    “We told her what she needed to hear, and she
saw what she needed to see.”
    “Then she was to go all along?”
    “We believe that she was meant to go.”
    “Then the Council is not worried?”
    He put his hand on her shoulder and smiled.
“The Council is always worried. It comes with the job. The question
is, should you worry, and the answer is no. You should pray
to the gods for her strength and her safety during the journey. It
will be difficult for her, but we feel this is something that she
must do.”
    “I’m sorry for the way that I acted. I will
put my trust in you.”
    “No, put your trust in her. Fear not, the
moon shines bright on young Farra.”
     
     
     
    VII A NEW
COMPANION
     

     
    Pupa startled Farra, pulling anxiously at her
arm to wake her. She opened her eyes and felt the ground shaking
beneath them; a roaring rumble could be heard all around. A sudden
spark of fear brought her abruptly out of her sleep, as she looked
up to see Bomani running across the field in the distance. She had
been following close behind him through the night.
    “You’d better run!” he said without so much
as stopping.
    “What’s happening?” she yelled after him as
she jumped to her feet trying to catch up.
    “Early morning hunt,” he yelled back pointing
in the direction in which he came.
    She whipped her head around and saw a large
herd of gazelles and zebras headed their way. She couldn’t tell how
many there were, but she figured it had to be more than a hundred. He wasn’t even going to warn me, she thought as she gathered
Pupa and her things.
    Three hungry lions chased the heard across
the savanna, pushing the limits of the breed. Farra took off
running. The animals quickly gained on them and they found
themselves trapped somewhere in the middle. Farra grabbed Pupa and
quickly nestled the bottom half of his body into her pouch. Blinded
by dust and the animals themselves, they where only inches from
being trampled,
    However, unlike Farra, Bomani had experience
in this situation. He had done this many times before— one of his
many ways of testing and pushing himself to the limit. Like a
champion athlete, he pulled his spear from his shield and thrust it
into the ground vaulting himself onto the back of one of the zebra.
Farra looked up to Bomani desperately and reached out her hand for
his help.
    “What about me?” she pleaded.
    With a sigh and a